SWANA was originally founded in 1962 in Southern California as the Governmental Refuse Collection and Disposal Association (GRCDA). By the mid 1970’s, GRCDA had several chapters along the west coast and in Canada. In 1978, the Association decided to expand throughout North America and established an office in the Washington, D.C. area. It also recognized its first Chapter in Florida.

The Association changed its name to SWANA in the late 1980’s to reflect its wider more diverse membership as well as the rapidly changing technological nature of the profession. SWANA now has over 46 chapters in the US and Canada and a membership of over 6700 professionals from all areas of the field.

The South Carolina Chapter received its charter at the 1990 Annual Business Meeting on August 23, 1990 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The Chapter presented the State Flag of South Carolina to SWANA President Kerton.

The SC Chapter now has 125 members within SC and 20 members from surrounding states. The membership is a diverse group of public and private sector professionals in the solid waste industry. The Chapter is focused on providing training and annually presenting conferences to support professionals in all aspects of solid waste including waste collection, disposal, gas collection, permitting, design, and operations. We hope you will join us at one of our upcoming events.